DIGGING OUT DIAMONDS FROM THE MUD

"Why are you so surprised to find evil and corruption running amok everywhere you look?
This world is the coarsest and harshest of all worlds, the ultimate concealment of the Infinite Light. Almost all of it is darkness and emptiness. Only a tiny spark of good is buried deep within to sustain it. You could spend your lifetime dwelling on the outrages and scandals, the travesties and the rip offs…—or your could take a moment to search for that spark. You could find it, grasp it, fan its flame. From within its aura, you will see the darkness shining brighter than the heavens. In that moment of light, the night will never have been."
[Chabad.org]

A night that is alive with the light of a new moon, a Rosh Chodesh is our holiday predictably once a month. It comes on schedule every month to bring us out of the night. To set aglow our darkness, to change the sorrow into celebration, to brighten our outlook, to give us hope.

We have 8 day Holidays in the Jewish religion, not just one or two day holidays, we have a significant quantity as well as quality of celebrations, with Pesach coming right after Purim. Purim as a time to destroy the bad guy, to bring us lightness away from the evil of Haman, as we approach the holy Holiday of Pesach, to celebrate no longer being slaves to the Egyptians.

There were 10 Plagues, and they sent the Pharaoh running amok. The brightness of our nights, the darkness of slavery that is no longer in our lives, as we Jews are the one percent of the world leading it with the spark of the holy, of the Divine.

We learned our lessons well, as we study Torah and always have yet something to learn that we do not know, always eager to search, find, fulfill, and flourish, we teach what we learn, and the world gets better as we get better. Not trying to change what we cannot change, not to fret over it.

Having a positive attitude towards life, a smile for everyone we meet, to continue to learn and to teach, to find students groveling in the mud as they look for diamonds, and then to come out of the mud, to brush oneself clean, and to appreciate the diamonds that they have found, that we have shown to them.

To find a diamond mine in your own backyard, to love it and to stay with it, cleaning it, not allowing the mud to come in between you and G-d, even if it is everywhere and dirties others. To separate yourself from the dirty, and to always come out clean.

To wash your hands 3x with a separate vessel, chanting the Hebrew hand washing blessing, and to drown out the name of Haman, to clean your cupboard of all chametz, and so in  this way, to be united with other Israelites.

To overcome all evil, to always be in and with the good. To only always worship the singular One Almighty G-d of Abraham and Sarah, the one and only G-d who is everyone's G-d.

JEWISH MEDITATION AND EVERYDAY ACTIVITIES

How to include Jewish meditation in and with all that you do, in and with all of your everyday activities.

Breathe the Shema, have the SH sound on your tongue as the wind goes into your lungs, and keep the prayer in all your thoughts, as saying the word Shekinah with the whisper of the SH sound again, move your body in sways according to the natural rhythm you develop as this SH sound becomes a prayer of meditation that travels in and out of your thoughts, in and out of your mind.

Feel a breeze as it blows through the trees and let it chill you on your skin in stimulation as you feel drums beating and violins playing, have Klezmer Jewish meditative music in you and with you, letting go of the material and being only completely in the spiritual.

Exhale the word Yah, each breath you suck in as Adonai and each breath you exhale as Yah. Letting go of all negative thoughts, all evil, as you exhale in a gasp. Having a newness after being forgiven by G-d for a transgression with every breath you inhale, and an acceptance and comfort after every breath exhaled. Bowing your head after an exhalation.

Keep in your walking step a natural bowing and shifting from foot to foot. Have a mantra in your mind, a word in Hebrew that you want to center on, like chesed for lovingkindness and then as you hum or say it to yourself, think of acts of lovingkindness that you can perform for other individuals.

Speak aloud these acts of lovingkindness, integrate them into your body and mantra, feel the joy of a reward as a result, but not a reward from a mortal, instead a reward from G-d. Feel the gift of His love inside your body and flowing in song on your tongue, in your every step. Having only G-d's love as your reward, feeling deeply loved with an unconditional love from the Divine.

Visualize an image of G-d, but knowing G-d is imageless. Instead see G-d's name as written in Hebrew on a Torah scroll, see these letters: the yod, hey, vav, hey, in your mind as you see G-d. See the letters of the Hebrew alphabet shining brilliantly, miraculously in metallic white, gold, silver, and bronze colors. A miracle like a hot wired burning bush! See the brightness of G-d as these hot passionate flames in your mind are dancing, and let them warm, calm, excite, and soothe you.

Have the hydration of water accompany these hot flames, dousing the flames when they get out of hand, controlling the fire with water, splashing water upon your body, purely, washing your hands, singing and raising your dripping wet hands high into the sky to be touched by G-d as you reach to touch a cloud.

Raising The Torah and imbedding the Covenant deep into your soul, as deeply as it is etched into the stone tablets of Moses, your Covenant firmly gripped in your hands as you raise The Torah Scroll high into the air like a flag, moving it with the freedom of a flying bird.

Keeping a bass tonal beat in each sure step, singing in soprano.

Walking with integrity, feeling nobleness, appreciating the peace of this everyday meditation, having it in your heart and on your tongue, in your foot, lovingly, everyday of the week.

Sharing this peace and love with others and changing the world this way!

EXERCISING A STRONG BODY TO BUILD A STRONG MIND

Moving the body, exercising, stretching the legs, putting your arms above your head, avoiding a seated position and instead doing as much walking as you can. Leaving the car in the garage and walking to the store, walking to the mailbox. When parking your car in a shopping center parking lot, park in a space furthest from the door of the store, and walk, walk briskly to the door, getting exercise as much as you can.

When seated, move your legs in a criss-cross, sit at the edge of the chair and do pull ups with your torso to strengthen the abs.

Use stairs as much as you can, avoiding elevators, take two stairs at a time, use the stairs to build up the calves of your legs, to strengthen your ankles, to have mobility. Breathe heavily, increase the pulse rate.

If given a choice between taking a car or walking, always choose walking. Walk to the beach to enjoy a beautiful sunset over a lake, and walk from one private beach to the next, kicking up sand, and moving from side to side. Twisting at the waist to feel soothing agility.

Stretch the neck muscles, move your head down in a bow to G-d, then to the side, hear a crack in the neck muscles, bend your neck in ways which it usually does not bend. Giving yourself a neck massage, a face massage, hugging yourself with your arms, giving love to yourself.

Exercising in or out of a gym, getting relief from achiness, having a strong body to give you a strong mind, using your body to do activities that will make a difference in the world, directing yourself to accomplish and to succeed, putting a healthy body first and forward, getting strength that will give you wisdom. Treat your body as if it is a Temple to worship G-d.

Having a strong body no matter where you are, sitting or standing, always being able to get exercise, always choosing walking instead of sitting.

THE OPEN DOOR TO FREEDOM

Being in a marriage, being female, being bound, enslaved, hitched, hiding, isolated, two people who are just as lonely as one, being alone together, to not want to venture out, to not take any chances, not to talk to a member of the opposite gender or get too close to a person of the same gender, jealousies, possessiveness, accusations of infidelity, never really knowing, trusting blindly, keeping only to yourself and to him, not being able to move, giving in and giving up.

Feeling sad as you dream of freedom, hearing only his voice, wishing for reprieve, the risk of poverty with a divorce, submission, worshipping him as a god, not in charge of your own life, lonely with or without him, he pays the bills and credit cards, no one there to repair broken household appliances, giving him more room in the bed, sleeping on the side, he is covered in blankets and you do without.

Pussy-footing around so not to anger him, but he becomes angry anyway. Using his broad shoulders to call the chips, listening with a deaf ear, not knowing when he is coming home, waiting at home getting more and more anxious, limiting your relationships with others, not giving out love freely, discrimination at home and at work, losing your confidence as you give everything up for him, not speaking first and not having the last word, feeling small, over-conscious of body weight too fat too thin, painting your face with make-up, dolling up, keeping your hair longer, tripping in high heel shoes to please him, taking second seat in everything you do together, nurturing him and not yourself, not having a say-so.

Freedom is only a door away. Doors open and people walk through them and they shut the doors behind them.

DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD HAVE THEM DO UNTO YOU

"Hillel replied, “What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow. That is the whole Torah; the rest is but commentary..." [Chabad.org]

Yes, if there is something you hate that others do to you or say to you, doubly do not ever say it or do it to anyone else. Avoid doing it as if it were The Plague, keep a bridle on your tongue, feel the heart of the person with whom you are talking to, and say only words of lovingkindness. Words that do not hurt, or scare them, or cause them any discomfort at all. Let them talk and if they use words that hurt, let the words fling off your chest armor and shield like repellent raindrops, falling to your feet and not wetting you in anyway. Do not respond to hurtful words with hurtful words. Bridle your mouth, do not act arrogant when someone else is, you have the upper hand this way. You did not slip up with your words, but they did with theirs. You then come out completely pure and clean and committed no transgression. They however did commit a transgression and so they must ask forgiveness to clean themselves, but you are still pure and clean, and have no reason to regret or be sorry like they do.